The present invention relates generally to personal training equipment such as that used in the development of martial arts skills and, more particularly, to equipment of the foregoing type that enables the room or other space in which the equipment is placed to be productively used for other purposes when the equipment is not in use, notwithstanding the continued presence of the equipment.
Martial arts schools are typically located in rented space within shopping centers and other commercial building structures. The open class room spaces typically found in such areas are conducive to handling sizable groups of students for group exercises and education. However, martial arts also involves considerable resistance training and work on such things as foot and eye coordination, eye and hand coordination, and balance. This frequently involves the use of suspended bags and other devices that can be kicked and struck in the appropriate manner. Rented space is not well-suited for this type of equipment.
For example, the building spaces typically have suspended ceilings that are incapable of supporting the significant loads imposed by hanging the equipment. Further, attachment to rafters and walls may cause extensive shaking and vibration of the building structure, leading to possible damage and, in any event, becoming a nuisance to other tenants. Moreover, any kind of permanent mounting arrangement for the equipment makes its virtually impossible to conduct exercises as a group because the equipment becomes an obstacle. While individual, free-standing bag stands and the like are an option, they still present obstacles that must be dealt with when a free and open class space is desired, and they are not an efficient use of available floor space.
Many individuals are also interested in having personal workout equipment in their own homes or offices. However, conventional equipment occupies such an inordinate amount of floor space and is so inconvenient to move and disassemble that the selected workout area usually needs to be dedicated solely to that one particular purpose. Most homes and offices simply do not have that luxury.
The present invention provides a workout equipment system, especially but not exclusively suited for martial arts training, that can be quickly and easily placed in either deployed or stowed conditions to allow the room space to be selectively used for a wide variety of different purposes including, but not limited to, workouts and training. It is particularly well-suited for use in a classroom setting where large groups of students are involved. However, the invention is also ideally suited for embodiment in a smaller, home and office use system for individuals.
One preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a relatively tall, free-standing, hollow framework or superstructure having a number of upright supporting legs and overhead beams that span and interconnect the legs so as to effectively define an open space under the beams and within the interior of the framework. Carriages or hangers are adjustably moveable along at least certain of the overhead beams to support free-hanging training devices such as kick bags and the like. Each of the hangers can be temporarily locked in any one of a number of selected positions along the length of its supporting beam so as to position one or more of the training devices out within the open space, effectively converting it into a training and skill area. The hangers with their associated training devices can, however, be selectively moved along the overhead beams into stored positions adjacent the outer limits of the framework, such as near a wall of the room, thus freeing up a large open area of the room for group exercises or other group activities. In one particularly preferred form of the invention, the various upright legs and horizontal beams are constructed from end-to-end sections that are bolted together for quick and easy installation and removal.